


Choosing Your Own Adventure

by 104



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/M, Fluff, High School, Love Triangles, Nekoma, Romance, Self-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:09:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28683831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/104/pseuds/104
Summary: We took turns trying to guess each other’s drawings of different members of the team.A rooster?“Too easy. Kuroo.”A video game?“Kenma. Ok, new rule: you have to use verbs,” Yaku said.“Verbs?” I tapped the pencil against the page as I tried to think of how to draw Yamamoto. Maybe weightlifting?“What are you two up to?” Kuroo stuck his head over the back of our seat and I jumped. How had I forgotten he was right behind us?!He reached over and took the notebook, then spent a minute scrutinizing our drawings.Yaku smiled like we were partners in crime.“Hm.” He must’ve seen the rooster.He handed it back and declared, “I’m much more handsome.”In this choose-your-own-adventure-type self-insert, you've just transferred to Nekoma and become the manager of the boys' volleyball team. However, you're also faced with a surprising decision: will you pursue Yaku, Kuroo, or maybe even...neither?!
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou & Reader, Kuroo Tetsurou/Reader, Kuroo Tetsurou/You, Yaku Morisuke & Reader, Yaku Morisuke/Reader
Comments: 10
Kudos: 10
Collections: oc self insertSI





	1. Introduction

“Excuse me,” I said as I stood in front of the two boys. Their conversation petered out, heads turning slowly towards me. It took all of my courage not to bolt.  
I’d just drawn in a breath to speak when the black-haired one said, “Your name is Yuu, right?”  
I nodded vigorously, surprised that he’d remembered. I’d introduced myself for the class at the beginning of the week, but it hadn’t been very long.  
“Can we help you with anything?” the other one asked.  
“Yes.” But probably not what you’re expecting, I thought. “You two are on the volleyball team, right?”  
They looked surprised but nodded.  
“I was wondering…do you need a manager?”

Kuroo, the black-haired one, told me that they’d take me to see the coach after school. I expressed my gratitude profusely before hurrying back to my seat, my heart racing like I’d run a marathon.

It had all started a few days ago when I’d walked past the gym after school. After a long meeting discussing the transition with my teachers, the familiar shouts and squeaks of sneakers drifting out of the open door had made me pause. I backtracked on the sidewalk and peeked in.  
Nekoma had a strong volleyball team. That had been one of the main selling points my parents had stressed when trying to cheer me up about the move. At the time, I didn’t care whether their team was slated to win Nationals or if they’d never scored a single point. I missed my old team, even if they hadn’t made it that far. Even if everyone had said they’d gone as far as they could go.  
However, watching Nekoma practice I began to feel the same excitement I used to get from my courtside view on the bench. As I watched them receive the ball again and again, I believed they could win.

“Yuu?” School had finally ended and we were heading to the gym, Kuroo a few steps ahead. As I watched the back of his neck, I wondered what you had to do to get your hair to style like that.  
I turned to Yaku. “Hm?”  
“Why are you interested in managing?” He sounded genuinely curious.  
“I was a manager at my last school. To be honest, I was surprised that you didn’t have one.” I hadn’t seen much during that one look into the gym, but I’d at least assumed there was a manager. In fact, I’d been worried that they might already have two.  
He shook his head and seemed about to elaborate, but then Kuroo was opening the door for us.  
“Thank you.” I filed in.  
Only a few team members had arrived so far, including a boy scowling at a game and another peering over his shoulder.  
“Kenma, go get changed,” Kuroo ordered loudly, but the one still in uniform gave no indication of having heard. The other boy smiled sheepishly and asked, “Are you looking for Coach? He’s in his office.”  
Kuroo nodded and held out a hand to wait while he knocked.  
“Come in,” I heard a man say. Kuroo stuck his head inside and exchanged a few words before waving me forward.  
“You’ll be fine,” Yaku said reassuringly, but I wondered if that was true.

Coach Nekomata was sitting at his desk when I entered.  
“Hello. Kuroo said that you were interested in managing for us?”  
I nodded and he gestured me towards the other chair.  
Were manager interviews supposed to be so…formal? I had expected a brief introduction, maybe an application, but now I felt like I was sitting down to a job interview.  
“Yuu?”  
“Yes!” I sat up a little straighter.  
“Why do you want to be a manager?” He set his cup down.  
“I was a manager at my last high school,” I said. “I transferred this year.”  
“And where was that?”  
I told him, though I wasn’t sure he would recognize it. It’d been small, after all, and further out in the country. But he nodded like he knew it.  
“A good school. Well-rounded, but we never played.”  
I nodded. “We never made it to Nationals, but our team worked really hard. I admired them, and it hurt when we lost. People said that they just reached their limit, that they’d gone as far as they could and that they should be proud, but I never believed that.”  
I hesitated. “I guess I wanted to keep helping a new team. I don’t want to hear anyone say that we reached the end of the line again.”  
I stopped talking, sure that he was about to dismiss me. But instead he nodded slowly.  
“Acknowledging your limit is a very difficult lesson to learn. But we strive to push those boundaries, to be better than we are. That’s the great thing about sport: you work with what you have to make something greater.”  
He took another sip and I waited, not sure whether this was the inspiring speech of an acceptance or the comforting speech of a denial.  
“I look forward to working with you.”  
“What?” My mouth dropped open.  
“We need passion not only from our players, but also from our managers.”  
He stood up, and after a beat I did too. As we shook hands, he said, “Welcome to Nekoma.”

“Everyone, circle up!” Coach Nekomata clapped after we exited his office.  
The team members immediately stopped doing drills and gathered around expectantly. Unsure what to do with my hands, I finally clasped them behind my back.  
“I’d like you to meet your new manager, Yuu!” I struggled to free a hand and wave. “Hi.”  
A few enthusiastic Hello’s! thundered back.  
“Yuu, is there anything you’d like to say?”  
I winced. He’d really thrown me under the bus!  
“Hello! My name is Yuu. I’m a third year, but I transferred here this year from another region. I look forward to working with you all.”  
I saw a few nods and hoped my blush wasn’t too noticeable.  
“Yaku, why don’t you show her where everything is?” the coach suggested. “Everyone else, get back to work!”  
The team drifted back to the court except for Yaku, who jogged up grinning.

“So? You got the job!” he exclaimed.  
Once the coach walked off, I admitted, “Talking to Coach Nekomata was really nerve-racking! I felt like I was being interviewed.”  
He nodded. “We’ve never had a manager. He was probably just as lost as you were!”  
Although my last team hadn’t been the strongest, we’d always had a manager, as far as I could remember. I’d apprenticed under Ren, after all…  
“So who was doing everything before?”  
He grimaced. “I was. Mostly.”  
I reached out to pat him on the shoulder, then veered off and pretended to stretch instead. “I’m sorry, Yaku. I’ll try to live up to your legacy!”  
He smiled as he led me towards the supply closet. “I’m glad you’re here.”

Over the next few days, I soon learned that the team was a bit of a handful. Arguments broke out loudly and often, but it took me a while to realize that they were never very serious.  
“Where’s my bag? It was right here. You took it, didn’t you?!”  
“Why would I want your bag? I don’t need a failing grade, the last time I checked.”  
“I got an 80! An 80!!!”  
“Oh yeah? Your last 67 begs to differ.”  
“If you wanna swipe something, swipe it from Yaku! He hoards all the snacks anyway.”  
“HEY!”

At first I missed talking to Ren in between duties, but the boys made plenty of effort to stop by during breaks.  
“I’m…I’m Yamamoto. But you can call me Tora.” He looked into the middle distance as he said this, but I tried to smile anyway.  
“It’s nice to meet you.”  
“He’s glad that we finally have a female manager.” Fukunago made an ok sign over his shoulder.  
“She’s very capable!” Yamamoto shot back. He turned around again and looked me in the eye this time. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask!”  
“Oh. I will!” He returned to the court and I continued folding towels. What a funny guy.  
“Can I have one of those?” a soft voice asked, and I turned. It was the boy with the game from earlier, and I wordlessly handed him a towel.  
“Thanks.”  
Was this the end of the interaction? I blurted, “Did you ever beat that game?”  
As soon as I said it, I wished I could kick myself. You couldn’t usually beat a game quickly, could you? How many levels were involved? And didn’t it depend on the game? God, I didn’t know anything about games…  
“What?” he said, and I considered melting into the floor.  
“Oh, you see…when I first came here I saw you playing a game. Fukun…Fukunago was cheering you on.”  
“Oh.” He was silent for so long that I considered pretending I had another job to do until I realized he was thinking.  
“I’ve been playing two games a lot recently, but I haven’t beaten either of them.”  
“Which ones?”  
“REDemption and Quest.”  
“Ah, REDemption?” I knew about that one! Kind of. From advertisements.  
He nodded. “It has an interesting system. I’ve never had to collect stamina points each time before attacking. In that way, I guess it’s a little more like reality.” He hesitated, his towel still in his hand.  
“I can take that.” I placed it in the basket and he nodded before drifting back to practice. Though short, the interaction seemed to take a lot out of me. Maybe I need more stamina points, I thought as I took the basket to be cleaned.

Later as I was marking stats, Kai asked, “How’s it going? I’m sorry if it’s more work than usual.”  
“Don’t apologize!” I laughed. “You guys make it really easy.”  
I noted another flawless receive by Yaku. Man, he never let anything touch the ground…  
“How was your last team?” I froze, my pencil hovering over the notebook even as Kuroo blocked a spike, the dull thud resounding across the court.  
He probably wouldn’t be impressed by their record, but…  
“They worked really hard. I was proud to be with them.” I shot a quick glance at him and he looked back encouragingly. “If that was…what you wanted to know.”  
He nodded. “I’m glad that you’re with us now, though. Our team has been noted for its stability, but to be honest, that’s just on the court.” We laughed as Yaku scolded Yamamoto for leaving the front wide open and Kuroo attempted to deescalate the situation. Or escalate it. Sometimes I couldn’t tell.  
“Yeah.” He looked fondly back at them. “We still have a long way to go.”

I received a tracksuit soon afterwards. The red and black were so different from the bland gray and white of my old school. I held it up admiringly.  
“Very nice!” Inuoka exclaimed. “I was really excited when I first got the uniform, too.”  
I blushed and tucked it into my bag.  
“Inuoka…what do you think about the team this year?” It suddenly struck me how little time I had left with them even though I’d just arrived. No matter what, this was my last year of high school.  
He beamed. “We’re really strong! The upperclassmen are amazing. And now that we have you, we’ll be unstoppable!”  
I floundered at the compliment until I heard someone drawl, “Don’t get ahead of yourself.” Some familiar bedhead crept into my peripheral vision as Kuroo came up to us.  
“The road ahead of us is long and full of obstacles.” Since when did you start spouting proverbs like an old man? I thought.  
“But,” he continued. “I think we can do it.” He had a truly menacing smile on his face now. I wondered if he was imagining us as his teammates or as his opposition.  
“You look scary, Kuroo,” Inuoka said, and I nodded.  
“Sorry.” He held my gaze. “I think Yuu here will be our lucky charm.”  
“Don’t give me that much credit,” I said, but as I zipped my bag up I felt my cheeks heating up.

For our first away game, I boarded the bus late and resigned myself to sitting alone at the front. Maybe Coach Nekomata could spare some more volleyball wisdom. The thought depressed me.  
I’d just slid into a seat when someone asked, “Can I sit here?” I turned to see Yaku standing in the aisle.  
“Oh, yes!” I pulled my bag over and he sat down.  
Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god-  
“Are you nervous?” he asked.  
I smiled ruefully. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”  
He shook his head. “Nope! I feel like a million bucks.”  
I looked out the window as the bus pulled out of the parking lot. Goodbye, Nekoma.  
“I really appreciate how hard you’ve been working.” His voice was a little softer now.  
“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just doing my best,” I said embarrassedly. “Oh, shoot.”  
I stood up in the seat and took attendance. The team was surprisingly subdued as they chatted quietly or tried to sneak in a quick nap. Tense.  
“All aboard.” I completed the form and sat down again, clipping the pencil into the clipboard.  
“Hey, can I see that?” He pointed to my notebook.  
“Go ahead.” Did he want to review his stats one last time?  
He flipped to the front, which I’d kept empty save for a few scribbles testing pens or jotting quick memos.  
“Oh, everything important is after that-” I started, but he slipped the pencil out and began writing something, angling the notebook so that I couldn’t see.  
“Um…”  
He turned back to me grinning. I stared at a drawing of a girl holding a volleyball.  
“It’s you!”

We took turns trying to guess each other’s drawings of different members of the team.  
A rooster?  
“Too easy. Kuroo.”  
A video game?  
“Kenma. Ok, new rule: you have to use verbs.”  
“Verbs?” I tapped the pencil against the page as I tried to think of how to draw Yamamoto. Maybe weightlifting?  
“What are you two up to?” Kuroo stuck his head over the back of our seat and I jumped. How had I forgotten he was right behind us?!  
He reached over and took the notebook, then spent a minute scrutinizing our drawings.  
Yaku smiled like we were partners in crime.  
“Hm.” He must’ve seen the rooster.  
He handed it back and declared, “I’m much more handsome.”

It felt strange to be the only one on the bench during the game. Well, besides Coach Nekomata.  
No matter what happened, good or bad, he wore the same amused expression. He wasn’t smiling exactly, but he wasn’t frowning either. Kind of like the Mona Lisa.  
I faced forward again and wondered how Ren was doing. My transfer had been a big surprise, all right. I wonder if she’d missed me when she was sitting at her first solo game in a while, too.

“Yuu, why don’t you manage the boys’ volleyball team with me?”  
“Manage?” Ren and I had been sitting on a wall after school eating popsicles. Our families were good friends, and that year was the first time we hadn’t been able to walk home together because she was managing.  
She nodded. “It’s a lot of fun, and you get experience working with people!”  
“Working with boys,” I said. I had been caught so off guard by her suggestion that a drop of popsicle dripped onto my wrist. “Oh, god!”  
“That’s not always such a bad thing,” she grinned.  
I pivoted. “What do you like so much about it anyway?”  
“Hm…” she tapped her chin. “I like providing moral support the most, to be honest. Don’t you always perform better when someone else is cheering you on?”  
“Maybe,” I admitted. “But I don’t really do anything competitive.”  
She raised her eyebrows. “Nonsense! Studying is competitive.”  
I rolled my eyes.  
“Liking the same guy as another girl is competitive!”  
“What a weird example!”  
She laughed when I flicked my popsicle wrapper at her, but I resolved to give it a try.

Looking back on it now from an empty bench, I realized that I had had a cheerleader.

It was late when we finally got back. We’d scraped the win, but the team practically staggered to the bus.  
Yaku still sat with me, but after the initial congratulations he closed his eyes, dozing. I looked out the window and watched the lights blur by.

Back in the gym, the coach gave a short speech of congratulations before letting us go.  
I’d just changed back into my regular clothes and headed out when I heard someone clear their throat.  
“Heading home?”  
I rolled my eyes as Kuroo followed me out the door.  
“No. I’m going bowling.” I internally winced. I should’ve at least spiced it up and said clubbing.  
Thankfully he didn’t seem to notice. I heard a trace of amusement in his voice as he said, “It’s late. Let me walk you home.”

I trusted Kuroo on many levels.  
For example, I trusted him to get me home safely. To intimidate anyone along the way (his sheer height was enough for that). To not act weird about it.  
However, I did not trust him to have a normal conversation along the way.  
“Thank you for doing this.”  
“It’s no problem.”  
“Do you live far away?” I had no idea. What if I was making him walk in the opposite direction?  
He shook his head. “Actually, Kenma and I live in the same building.”  
“Oh.” I pondered. “Doesn’t Kenma need someone to walk him home?”  
He snorted. “Kenma can protect himself. He knows all of those moves, after all.”  
I watched the sidewalk as we entered one pool of lamplight after another. I looked back at him.  
“Are you guys really close?” They talked a lot during practice, and they’d leave together, but I never knew the reason.  
“We’re old friends.”  
I faced straight ahead again. Did Ren have someone to walk her home now?  
“Um…do you have anyone like that?”  
I halted a bit in my tracks, then forced myself to keep going.  
“Yeah. My friend Ren was the reason I got into managing. We always went to the same school until…now.” I coughed. “I’ve met a lot of people here, though, and they’re really nice. It just takes some time to adjust.”  
I could feel his gaze on my face but pretended not to notice. We were almost there, anyway.

“Thank you.” We’d finally reached the front door, and I fiddled with my hands awkwardly. His hair looked even more disheveled in the harsh light.  
“You played really well today.”  
His eyes glittered as he looked back at me.  
“Thank you for being our manager.”  
Up until now, I’d just brushed it off, but I was tired of doing that when they sounded so genuine. I nodded.  
He took a step towards me and I stopped breathing. But then he retreated down the walkway.  
“Good night, Yuu.”  
“Good night, Kuroo.” But he was already too far away to hear.


	2. Introduction II

“Lev!” Yaku barked. “If you don’t receive this next ball, I’m aiming for your head!”  
They’d been at it for at least 20 minutes now. Everyone else was out on a run, but Coach Nekomata wanted Lev to practice his receives a bit more before they resumed.  
Yaku’s tone underwent a drastic change as he turned towards me. “Yuu, you’re still recording, right?”  
“Roger!” I glanced down at the clipboard. “22 for 75.”  
“That’s good!” Lev protested. “That’s like a third!”  
“Less than a third,” Yaku grumbled. “Get ready! We’re starting again.”  
I’d just tallied another miss when the gym door opened and the rest of the team made a beeline for the water bottles.  
“How’s he doing?” Kuroo looked over my shoulder, then smirked. “Still a long way to go, I see.”  
“HEY!” Lev’s shout was cut short as Yaku sent a ball spinning towards his face.  
“That’s gotta hurt,” Kuroo said, and I nodded.

“Maybe if you gave him another demonstration,” I suggested.  
Yaku squirted some water into his mouth but shook his head. “I’ve already given him three. I think at this point he just needs practice.”  
Sometimes Lev worried me, but Coach Nekomata knew what he was doing…  
I brightened. “What about offering a little incentive? It’s the end of the week. If he can make half of his receives, I’ll buy him a popsicle.”  
When Yaku raised his eyebrows, I added, “I’ll buy you one, too. My treat.”  
His mouth gaped open. “Really?”  
I called out to Lev, who was sprawled facedown on the court like a starfish.  
“Lev! If you receive half of these next balls, I’ll buy you a popsicle.”  
He peeled his face off of the floor. “Really?! What kind?”  
“Don’t ask her that!” Yaku stomped back to the court and grabbed another ball.

I ended up rounding Lev’s 13/29 to a 50%.  
As we left the convenience store, Yaku held up his orangesicle like a trophy. “Huzzah, huzzah!”  
Lev tore off the wrapper and stuffed it in his mouth. “Thankth, Yuu!”  
“It’s no problem,” I laughed. As we continued down the sidewalk, I wondered whether buying the whole team popsicles would be a good investment.  
“I asked him the other day.” Lev pulled his popsicle out of his mouth with a POP! “Did you know Kenma’s already on level 249 of REDemption? He’s a beast!”  
“Level 249?!?!” Games had that many levels?!  
“And it only came out last month.” Yaku drew a dollar sign in the air. “He could probably make lots of money posting tutorials or something.”  
“Kenma as a YouTuber.” We all stopped to imagine it.  
Lev perked up. “Do you think they make volleyball games?”  
Yaku snorted. “If they did, you’d suck at them.”  
I considered sticking up for Lev, but finally I just let them go at it.  
After all, I thought, unwrapping my popsicle, I was off-duty.

“Well, I’m going this way.” Lev pointed back in the direction of the school, and we slowly came to a halt.  
“Ah. I’m going that way.” I pointed in the opposite direction. The sun was starting to set, and even with the popsicle I wondered what we’d be having for dinner.  
“Really? Me too.” I turned to Yaku, surprised. There really were a lot of people living in the area…  
“See you on Monday!” We waved as Lev became smaller and smaller in the distance (but still not that small).  
“I don’t know where he gets all of his energy,” Yaku sighed as we headed towards the park.  
The leaves crunched under our feet as we followed the path. “You really put him through it today.”  
“He’s still mastering the basics. I’m a little worried.”  
I thought back to the 50%. The determination in his eyes whenever Yaku pulled out a new cart of balls. The way he carefully mimicked his position.  
“He’s working hard. I’m sure Coach made the right decision-”  
I suddenly gasped, slapping my forehead. “I just realized I’ve only been with the team as long as he has.”  
Yaku laughed. “That’s different! I feel like I’ve known you forever.”  
“I see…” I was glad it was dark.  
“Anyway, how’s meeting new people? Have you made any friends?” His nose scrunched adorably when he realized how that sounded. “I’m sorry, I mean-”  
I waved him off. “Don’t worry, I’m fine! I’m always open for new suggestions, though.”  
He thought for a minute. “Do you know Ai, in our class? She’s the captain of the girls’ volleyball team.”  
“No, I don’t think we’ve met.”  
“What about Tsuna? Or Sano! Sano’s really funny…”  
Night had fully fallen by now, but I could still see his fond expression as we passed under the streetlamps. As he excitedly named potential friends, I was glad Yaku was looking out for me.

I was working on an assignment during lunch a few days later when a shadow suddenly fell onto the page. At first I tried to ignore it, but it wasn’t budging.  
I slowly looked up to see Kuroo standing over me.  
“Um...hi?”  
“Sorry,” he said, but he didn’t sound sorry at all. “Wanna see something?”

“Where are we going?” We’d left the third-year hallway by now, and I sped up to match his stride. He just never waited up, did he?  
“To visit Kenma.” He suddenly veered off and pulled open a door.  
“Um, I don’t think-“ I started.  
“Kenma!” Kuroo’s voice was loud enough to make Kenma freeze even on the other side of the room. The other second-years seemed used to Kuroo’s sudden invasions, just giggling and moving aside to let us pass.  
“You made me lose.” Kenma frowned, Game Over flashing sadly on his screen.  
“I just wanted Yuu to see you in your natural habitat. Why don’t we go outside?”  
“That’s not my natural habitat.”  
“Come on.”  
“I’m not interested.” He pressed New Game with a note of defiance.  
“Please! You’re making me lose face here.” He gestured towards me and a little too late, I tried to look invested.  
“She already knows you don’t have any to lose.” Kenma finally turned his back on us. Kuroo, take the hint!  
He gasped before turning back to me. “Can you believe that?”  
As he led the way out, Kuroo said at large, “Sorry for the distraction.”  
I thought I heard Kenma sigh.

“Oof, that was embarrassing.” I punched the numbers for a milk into the vending machine, feeling like we had to justify the trip. I could see Kuroo standing by in the reflection, a relaxed look on his face.  
“Nah. They’re used to it.” I raised my eyebrow when I thought I heard something like pride in his voice.  
“Agh! Give me my milk!” The coil had extended, but the box was stuck between the glass and the shelf. I looked around. “Should I get a teacher?”  
“No need.” He leaned over me and began knocking on the glass, softly at first and then louder. We were starting to attract some stares in the courtyard.  
“Kuroo-” I was trapped under his arm, but he had the same determined look on his face as during practice. Really, my milk wasn’t that important… He stooped so suddenly that I was just staring at the top of his head. I could smell the scent of his cologne.  
When he straightened up again he extended the box to me, grinning.  
“When at first you don’t succeed, just bang harder.”  
“Thanks.” I accepted the milk in a daze. He was still standing rather close.  
I coughed. “We should head back.”  
As I led the way, I hoped he couldn’t see how red my ears were.

The most beautiful girl I’d ever seen was standing in the doorway of the gym.  
I’d first noticed her when I started mopping, but now I was halfway through and she was still there, like a gorgeous apparition. Finally I stopped and beckoned Fukunaga.  
“Fukunaga, who’s-?” I whispered furtively, but as he turned his head he seemed to understand right away.  
“Ah! That’s Lev’s sister.”  
Whatever response I was expecting, that was not it.  
Before I could say anything, Lev walked out of the storeroom and the girl called out to him excitedly. “Lev! I’m glad you’re done. Are you ready?”  
“Alisa!” Lev beamed as he crossed the court.  
On second thought, they had the same long limbs, the same delicate features…but a sister!  
I belatedly went back to mopping, my brain whirling with this new information.  
“I know. It is a bit surprising,” Fukunaga empathized, and I nodded.  
“Oh! Is that your manager?” I heard Alisa’s voice ring out and I froze. Lev whispered something to her, and suddenly she was saying my name just like she’d said Lev’s: like she was happy to see me.  
“Yuu!”  
As I walked over, I thought dazedly, Did things like this happen in real life?  
“Hello,” I said. Alisa was smiling expectantly, and Lev gestured to me proudly before saying, “She bought me a popsicle for making my receives!”  
Half of them, I thought dazedly, but who was counting? Alisa’s eyes widened and she said, “Oh? Thank you for looking out for him!”  
“It’s no problem.” I silently thanked the universe. I didn’t know what I’d done, but I was glad I’d done it.  
“I’m almost ready! I just need to grab my bag.” Lev moved off and suddenly we were alone.  
“Have you been managing long?” she asked.  
“I’m actually new to Nekoma, too. I just transferred a few months ago.”  
“So does that mean you’re Lev’s age?”  
“Oh, no! I’m a third-year.” Imagine!  
“Ah!” She nodded. “I’m glad Lev has such amazing upperclassmen.”  
“Oh, definitely. Kuroo, Kai, Yaku…They’re all really talented.”  
“Ready!” Lev slung his bag over his shoulder and then they were heading out.  
“It was nice meeting you, Yuu.” Alisa flashed a smile before they disappeared through the doorway.  
After a moment, I realized I was still holding the mop. Wait, which side had I done already?  
As I was trying to remember, Tora passed me on his way out.  
“Bye, Yuu!”  
“Bye!” As I waved, I thought that maybe I did know how it felt to be tongue-tied by a beautiful girl.

Speaking of relatives, I met Akane not long after that.  
“NEKOMA! NEKOMA! NEKO- NEKO- NEKOMA!”  
Tired of apologizing, I finally grabbed Kuroo and pointed at the girl leading the cheering section in the stands.  
“Kuroo, who’s-?”  
He chuckled. “Oh, don’t you know? That’s-”  
“That’s, um…my sister.” If I didn’t know any better, Tora sounded almost embarrassed!  
I marveled as I turned towards him. His face was buried deep into his collar, like a turtle retreating into its shell.  
“She’s doing a great job!” I exclaimed.  
As soon as I’d said it, she whirled around and waved excitedly at him. He immediately straightened up and waved back, a small smile spreading across his face.  
Kuroo and I exchanged a look. Tora, you softie!  
If I squinted, I thought I could make out a middle school uniform. “Is she-?”  
“Yeah. She’s a second-year at Nekoma Middle School.”  
Soon afterwards, Alisa came up to her and they began talking animatedly.  
“It’s good to know that we have support.” I turned away so they couldn’t see my smile as I arranged the water bottles. “You should be proud.”

“Yuu!!! It’s good to see youuu!” After the game, Alisa and Tora’s sister came down to the court.  
“Hi, Alisa.” As I was speaking, her companion waved at Tora as he walked by.  
“You did a great job today!” Her eyes shone, but Tora blushed and pointed at the megaphone dangling by her side.  
“Do you really need that?”  
“Of course! How else would everyone hear me?”  
He coughed and turned to me. “Akane, I want you to meet our new manager, Yuu.”  
“Hi! It’s nice to meet you.” We shook hands, and she nodded approvingly.  
“Nekoma’s really moving up now!”  
Again with the sudden compliments! After floundering a bit, I said, “Oh, no! They were doing just fine without me.”  
“Still-” She looked like she wanted to pursue the subject, but thankfully Alisa came to the rescue.  
“Did you see Lev today?”  
I nodded. “I think he went to the bathroom.”  
“Thank you!” In the interval, Akane and Tora broke off into a separate conversation, Tora teasing her and Akane retorting. She crossed her arms, but Tora ruffled her hair, grinning.  
“You and Lev and Akane and Tora sure have great relationships.” It slipped out before I could think it over.  
“Ah!” She looked surprised, but she nodded. “Family always comes first.”

As I was lying in bed that night, I thought about all of the different kinds of families. Biological families, of course, but also teams, friends…maybe even partners. Before, I’d just been content with Ren, but it looked like my circle was expanding.  
As I drifted off, I was glad that I’d found some new ones.

…

AHHH!  
It had been a long game, and an even longer day. As everyone hurried around trying to pack up, I barely restrained myself from smacking the towels into the laundry. It had been a few weeks since I’d met Akane, and I was in a bad mood. It wasn’t like we’d lost or anything, but-  
“Yuu!” I heard faintly.  
What?! I turned around quickly but couldn’t see anyone. Inuoka had frozen in the middle of collecting the water bottles, but I waved him off and turned back to the towels. Stupid towels. Stupid class, giving me a quiz right before we left today. Stupid life. Stupid volley- no, I couldn’t say that.  
UGH! Fine! Stupid volleyball!!!  
I’d just thrown in the last towel (literally) when I heard it again, closer this time.  
“Yuu!”  
I turned around so murderously that Ren laughed.  
“Oh no. You don’t look happy to see me.”  
“REN!” I jumped on her, then pulled back confusedly.  
“Why are you here?” We weren’t even remotely close to home…  
She grinned. “I asked your parents for the season schedule. I wanted to see you in action.”  
I’d told her I was managing, but I hadn’t expected her to come!  
I felt my cheeks begin to heat up. “Oh, today wasn’t…”  
“Who’s this?”  
Oh, crap! Kuroo and Yaku had finished cooling down and were trotting over.  
“Yaku, Kuroo, this is my friend Ren.” She waved and they exchanged greetings.  
Kuroo looked like he wanted to say something, but I shot him a warning look.  
Ren’s expression changed, and I could feel a strategy session coming on. Suddenly I was back at our old school watching as she debriefed the team.  
“You looked great out there! During the first set-”  
I studied her as she continued talking. She had great game sense and could probably give them some important pointers, but what was she doing here? She wasn’t wearing her school uniform, and her hair had grown much longer than I remembered it. A new bracelet flashed from her wrist as she gestured. With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I realized that we had a lot to catch up on.  
“Ren, why don’t you come over for dinner tonight?” I suggested.  
To her credit, she pivoted quickly. “Thank god! I thought you’d never ask.”  
“5 minutes until the bus!” Coach Nekomata announced, and she seemed to shake herself out of an analyzing reverie.  
“I’ll see you at home,” she said. “It was nice meeting you!” She waved, then she was gone.

We’d just slid into our seats when Kuroo leaned over. “So, how does it feel to see her again?”  
“I haven’t seen her in months. I can’t believe it.” I checked my phone.  
“See you soon! :D” glowed from the screen, and I reluctantly shut it off.  
“A lot of things have changed, but a lot have stayed the same.” I looked out the window, but we hadn’t started moving yet. Would we even have that much in common anymore?  
I saw Yaku and Kuroo eye each other in the reflection, and finally Yaku said, “She gave us some great advice!”  
I laughed. “And you’d better follow it!”  
This prompted a smile, and I let myself relax a bit. “She taught me everything I know.”

I refused their offers to walk me home. I was so wound up that I probably wouldn’t be able to hold a conversation.  
“Yuu, are you sure-?” Yaku looked anxious.  
“I’m sure!” I pulled on my coat.  
“But it’s late-” Kuroo protested.  
“It’s been later!” I zipped up my bag.  
I walked home so quickly that I was out of breath when I unlocked the door.

“Welcome back!” The sight of Ren in our new foyer was surreal.  
“Why don’t you and Ren go sit down? I’m sure you have a lot of catching up to do,” Mom suggested.  
I led her to my room and she looked around admiringly.  
“Same things, just different places. Wow, I still can’t believe you’re here!” I stared at her sitting in my desk chair like if I looked long enough she would disappear.  
She held up her hands. “Well, you better believe it!”  
Her smile suddenly dropped. “But you forget to mention a very important detail when you said you were managing.”  
I desperately tried to remember what I’d forgotten. That I was the only manager? That our uniforms were red and black? That our mascot was…a cat? Or did she mean I forgot something technical?  
“That you’re working with such CUTIES!”  
A full minute passed between her answer and when it finally registered.  
“…WHAT?”  
“Don’t pretend you don’t know!” She started fanning herself. “What were their names? Kuro and Yaku?”  
“Kuroo,” I corrected automatically. “What are you talking about, Ren?”  
“Total eye candy. In Kuroo’s case, the messy hair really ties the look together. And Yaku has such a kind face!”  
I groaned. Ok, maybe she hadn’t changed after all. She was still completely boy crazy!  
“Ren, I can’t listen to this.” I sank into the bed. “I need to lie down.”  
Once I had, I cracked an eye open and said, “You gave them actual volleyball advice, right?”  
She nodded vigorously. “Of course! It’s easy when you never take your eyes off them.”  
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so I tried to change the topic. “No one on our old team stayed on?”  
She listed some names, most of which I recognized, some of which I didn’t. So there wasn’t a lot of new blood…  
“But that’s no fun!” she pouted. “Don’t tell me, you’re really not interested in any of them?”  
I hedged. “I thought you became a manager to provide moral support.”  
“You can provide moral support in many different ways!”  
“REN!”  
“I just meant…” She tried a different tactic. “Look, aren’t any of the players playing better now that you’re here?”  
“Not really.” I thought back to Yaku’s perfect receives, Kuroo’s total shut-outs. But they’d been like that long before I came, with or without a manager. “Ren, they’re a really top-notch team. I hate to say it, but they’re way beyond what we’re used to.”  
“Yeah. You’re probably right.” She mulled it over, and I felt relieved that she’d laid the topic to rest. But then:  
“Top-notch in looks too.”  
I pulled my pillow around my ears. “I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that.”  
“IN LOOKS TOO!”  
“STILL NOT HEARING IT!”  
It was just like old times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! From here on out the story will be splitting off into the 3 paths. Thank you for your patience!  
> 104


	3. Yaku

“What do you think Coach Nekomata does in his free time?” I whispered furtively. Yaku and I were mopping the court again after practice. It wasn’t necessarily a two-person job, and it might even take longer this way, but I had to admit that I liked the company.  
Yaku turned subtly towards the coach as he watched everyone pack up, Coach Nekomata's mouth set in a grim line.  
We both tried to imagine him watching volleyball in front of the TV set at home, maybe playing with his grandkids. We couldn’t.  
“I’m not sure. The good news is that we’ll never find out.” We walked outside and I drained the bucket. Practice had gotten later and later recently, and I was always shocked by how dark it was. I shivered a little in spite of myself.  
“I ran into Ms. Nishimura in the supermarket the other day,” Yaku grimaced. “I had a bunch of instant ramen in my basket, but she asked if I was making a recipe. A recipe!!!”  
I smiled. “She was just being polite. It must’ve been awkward for her, too.” I looked at the sky and scanned for stars, but the light from the gym obscured them.  
I turned. “Did you happen to see what she was getting?”  
“Of course I didn’t look! I’m a gentleman!” he protested, his ears red.  
I laughed as we headed back inside.

“Ok, I feel bad. He probably does lots of normal-person stuff, like goes out to dinner and sings in the shower and collects coupons.” The gym was empty, and I looked around for the key. Should I lock up?  
“You sound like you’ve thought about this a lot,” I teased as we headed towards the supply closet.  
He grinned. “When he puts you through hell during training, you start to wonder.”  
I hummed as I put the mop back and he wheeled in the bucket. Someone had spilled a drink near the bench, and even though it was probably water it was good to be thorough.  
“Hey, do you see the-?” My sentence got cut short as the lights in the closet went out.  
“Um.” I was standing the closest to the door, so I started feeling the wall for the light switch. Crap, was it outside??  
At least the lights in the gym were still on, right? That meant someone was still here?  
The lights went out, plunging us into darkness.  
CRAP!  
“Yaku-” I tried the doorknob, but it was stuck. Locked.  
“We’re locked in.” This was maybe the worst thing that had happened to me in a while. And of course it had to be when I had a project-!  
“Hold on a sec. I’m gonna yell.”  
I braced myself, and he shouted, “HELP! WE’RE STILL IN HERE!”  
No response.  
“Oh, crap. Do you have your phone?” I fretted. I could envision exactly where mine was, about fifteen feet away in my bag.  
There was a silence that I decided to interpret as him shaking his head when no blue light appeared.  
“Oh my gosh.” I groaned and continued feeling around the walls.  
“I have a proje-AGH!” I slipped on the mop!  
I managed to right myself at the last second by grabbing onto the shelf, but my heart pounded in my ears.  
“Yuu!” I felt his hand on my arm, and I squeezed my eyes shut. Not that it made much of a difference.  
“It’s ok. I’m right here.” He brought my hand up to his face, and I let him.  
“I’m right here.” My hand was cupping his cheek.  
Even after he let go, I kept it there. My heartbeat was starting to settle down again.

Um…you know, maybe this wasn’t that bad after all.  
Shut up, I told myself. What if we’re stuck here all night?  
So? You’ll be stuck here all night!  
I abruptly dropped my hand and put them on my hips, like Kuroo did when he tried to look menacing. (It also kind of made him look like an angry rooster.) Yeah! What was less romantic than that?  
I coughed.  
“So, any last-minute confessions you want to get out there?” As soon as I said it, I winced. What did I think was going to happen? We weren’t going to die even if we were stuck here all night. Though it would be an awkward conversation with the janitor in the morning.  
“Not really.” He hesitated, but I could tell there was more.  
I was about to prompt him to continue when he suddenly blurted-  
“I did see what was in Ms. Nishimura’s basket. It was a pack of beer!”  
“Yaku!” I gasped, but my brain was whirling with this new information. Was she meeting with friends? Having a night on the town?  
“I didn’t mean to look!” he wailed. “But it was so obvious!”  
“I can’t believe this,” I marveled. An entire pack was pretty bold. That meant a large group! Or maybe she was stocking up?  
“Do you think she has a boyfriend?”  
I’d meant it lightly, but there was such a long pause that I desperately tried to think of another topic to switch the conversation to. Was it obvious and I just didn’t know? Was my question too nosy?  
I was fretting so much that I almost missed it when he asked-  
“Do you have a boyfriend?”

If my actual voice could scream as loud as the one in my head, we would’ve been rescued in no time.

“No,” I said calmly, but inside I was anything but calm. For once, I was glad that we were locked in a pitch-black closet in a pitch-black gym in a pitch-black night. If all the lights in the world went out at that exact moment, if the very sun went out and never returned - I wouldn’t have minded.  
“No?” he repeated. “Not even at your old school?”  
Hey! That was getting kind of personal…  
I rubbed my neck. “No. I wasn’t interested in anyone.”  
But how many times Ren had asked! I’d almost wanted to make someone up so she’d stop trying to set me up.  
I cleared my throat. “What about you? Have you ever dated anyone?”  
“Me?” he sounded surprised. “No, I haven’t.”  
“Ah, I see.” I didn’t really, but I didn’t know how else to pick up the conversation. It was something I didn’t want to prod with a ten-foot pole. Yes, I admitted, Yaku was cute, and yes, we spent quite a lot of time together, but-  
But what? that same voice asked.  
But I couldn’t do that! He was a player, and I was a manager…  
But that had never stopped Ren.  
“Maybe it should have,” I muttered, and froze when Yaku said, “What?”  
“Nothing. Um…” I felt around. If we were going to be here for a while, I didn’t want to stand the whole time.  
“I’m going to sit down.” I pushed the bucket out of the way and heard it rattle, then lowered myself to the ground.  
I leaned against the shelf and froze when I felt Yaku sit down beside me. Our knees were touching.  
“Do you think that Ms. Nishimura has a boyfriend?” I could feel his warm breath on my ear and felt goosebumps rise on the back of my neck.  
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I can’t remember her wearing a ring.”  
“Hm.”  
At that, the conversation settled into a lull. It was pretty late, and I was starting to feel tired. What would my parents think? Would they come looking for me?  
We stayed in a comfortable silence until he finally spoke again.  
“Thank you…for being in my class.” It was barely a whisper, and I almost missed it.  
I opened my mouth but stopped from mentioning that it was due to circumstances beyond my control - first my dad’s company, then my parents, then the school board. But I knew what he meant. He was glad that I’d moved, that I’d come up to him, that I’d become the manager. He was glad that we’d met.  
“I’m glad that you’re in my class, too.” I wished that I could have seen his face then.  
Feeling a boldness I couldn’t quite describe, I slowly lowered my head onto his shoulder. For a brief moment I wondered if I’d gone too far, but then he reached out and took my hand.  
If we stayed like this forever, I wouldn’t mind, I thought as I closed my eyes.

We were still sitting like that when the lights flicked on in the gym.

“Kuroo!” I gasped. The light seemed blindingly bright as he threw open the door.  
“The one and only,” he grinned. Yaku and I stood up and dusted ourselves off.  
“How’d you know?” Yaku asked, and Kuroo put up a hand to stop him. “A magician never reveals his secrets.” He opened one eye. “Except when they accidentally lock their friends in the supply closet.”  
“So it was your fault!” Yaku leapt at him and Kuroo dodged. “Hey! I was halfway home before I realized there were still bags on the bench!”  
“The important thing is that you came back.” So my bag had been good for something!  
“Here Yuu and I were, ready to spend the whole night in the closet,” Yaku shouted. “And you were just…on a train?! Thinking to yourself, ‘Oh, yeah, I guess there are still two bags in the gym?!?’”  
“It’s all right! No harm, no foul.” I glared at Kuroo’s bedhead and thought about him dozing on the train. “You know what, never mind. There was harm, and there’s a fowl, rooster head.”  
“You two are so mean!!”  
Yaku finally got a good kick in. “Hey!”  
We gave him plenty of flack on the way home, but I was secretly glad to not be alone.

“Please take this time to choose a partner. Remember, choose wisely! I won’t let you switch after the first week.” Ms. Nishimura finally let us go, and the classroom erupted into chaos as people clambered over the desks to get to their friends. It had only been a few days since the closet incident, and I still found it a bit difficult to look Yaku in the eyes. My own actions were also increasingly bewildering to me. Had I really put my head on his shoulder? Touched his cheek? Maybe I needed to keep my distance, and a group project was the perfect place to start.  
I could ask Ai. I didn’t know her that well, but maybe-  
I’d just turned to see if she was free when I heard, “Yuu?”  
“Hm?”  
I looked up.  
“Do you want to be my partner?”  
Just my luck!  
“Sure. I mean yes! That makes sense - we could work on it after practice.” That sentence got quieter and quieter with every word, and finally I glanced around for the girl who sat next to me so that I had an excuse to look away.  
“Great.” He sounded relieved, and it looked like Kaneko was on the other side of the room. “You can sit here.” I turned back to him and opened my textbook. “Um, what ancient civilization do you want to do?”

“This project’s going to be a pain,” Kuroo groaned.  
Tell me about it, I thought, but I just nodded. “Who’s your partner?”  
“Iwasaki. He sounds serious this time, but I need to make sure he actually works.” He yawned.  
“You’re partners with Yaku, right?”  
“Yes!” I responded more nervously than I’d meant to and his eyes briefly widened. “That’s convenient. Make sure you don’t study anywhere you could get locked in.”  
It was the closest I’d come to punching him.  
“It was just a joke!” he laughed, but I huffed and turned away to where Yaku was again practicing receives with Lev. I could practically see the vein bulging out of his forehead.  
I sighed. I wasn’t Lev, who let everything bounce off of him like water off a duck’s back. If Yaku really yelled at me, I’d probably think about it for years. Maybe it was best not to get involved after all.  
“Ah…” Kuroo followed my gaze. “You know, when we were first-years, Yaku and I fought all the time.”  
Fantastic! Tell me more, Kuroo! I turned towards him so quickly that he looked surprised.  
“Hm…” He tapped his chin. “We fought over everything. Ball brands, pets, girl- I mean, food. His team beat mine in middle school, and, well…” His smile was back again. “I was tall.”  
“Really?” They still fought, but it wasn’t with any real intensity. Maybe like two tomcats squaring off in an alley? The thought almost made me laugh.  
“You guys are all right now, though,” I said cheerfully, and he nodded.  
“I think we were arguing just to argue. But…” he shrugged. “We’re teammates. We got over it.”  
“I see.” Lev finally quit, trying to drag Kenma in between himself and Yaku as a barrier. However, this just made both Kenma and Yaku start berating him.  
“Do you think he’d ever yell at me like that?” It slipped out before I could think it over.  
“Who? Yaku?”  
Who else?  
“Nah, I don’t think so.” He turned away and I was about to ask him to elaborate when he said, “He adores you.”

AND WHAT EXACTLY WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!?!  
I could practically still feel the steam coming out of my ears as I prepared to leave. “See you tomorrow,” I mumbled as I slid the door open. The only thing separating me from under the sheets was about a ten-minute walk.  
Kuroo had refused to explain! He’d just gone back to cooling down like it was nothing, but-  
“Yuu?”  
I turned around slowly to see Yaku looking at me confusedly.  
“Aren’t we working on the project today?”  
Yes, I suppose we were…  
“Are you all right? You seem really out of it.”  
“I’m fine.” I pretended like I hadn’t just been about to leave without him. “Um, where do you want to go?”

Practice had ended so late that the library was closed. As we stared at the sign wishing us a good evening, I started to fret. If I took him home, we’d be alone. While probably the optimal learning environment, it wasn’t exactly-  
“Um, if you don’t mind...” Did he sound shy? That was new.  
“We could work at my house. My mom and my brothers are home, though.” I thought I could see a tinge of pink color his cheeks.  
Company! Perfect!  
I nodded almost too enthusiastically.  
“Just lead the way!”

“You said brothers as in…more than one?” I asked curiously. We were in a part of the city I’d never been in, even though it was close to home.  
He nodded. “Toyo is in elementary school, and Rei is in middle school.”  
So he was the older brother! Maybe his demeanor made sense…  
I mulled over this information as we walked.  
“Are you guys close?”  
He grinned. “Rei’s a little distant right now, but Toyo’s sweet.” He turned away.  
“It’s just being in middle school, you know?”  
Even though he couldn’t see it, I nodded.

“I’m home!” Yaku called out, and I heard a few things stir inside.  
“Welcome back!”  
I trailed him into the kitchen, where his mother was working at the stove.  
“It’s nice to meet you.” I inclined my head and she laughed.  
“Morisuke talks about you all the time, Yuu. I feel like I already know you.” Her smile lines were just like Yaku’s.  
Or maybe his smile lines were just like hers?  
“Oh. Um…thank you,” I said at the same time Yaku said, “Mom!”  
He coughed. “We’re working on a project.”  
“I see. Yuu, will you be staying for dinner?”  
I could, if I texted my parents first…  
I nodded, and she turned back to the pan. “Great! I’ll call you when it’s ready.”  
Yaku held a hand out, and it took me a minute to realize that he wanted my bag. I handed it over and followed him down the hallway.  
“Sorry it’s a mess,” he apologized, but it wasn’t bad at all. He had a couple sports magazines sprawled around and a few volleyball posters hanging on the walls. I hadn’t brought my laptop, so he let me use his while he worked at his desktop.  
I had to say that I was a little grateful for the separation. It made me feel more productive.  
“Hm…when I say-” Then, all of a sudden he was leaning down close to me! I tried to focus on the screen.  
“Oh, yes. We should probably put a date.” I started typing, and he retreated. I didn’t know what I’d do if this took more than one day.

“Dinner’s ready!” A boy’s voice squeaked as he opened the door. “Hi, Yuu!”  
Standing in the doorway was a smaller version of Yaku in an elementary school uniform.  
“Hello,” I said. I saw Yaku get up and stretch in my peripheral vision.  
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Toyo.” We shook hands. “You’re Nekoma’s manager?”  
I nodded.  
“That’s so cool! Can I see your book? I want to play volleyball!”  
I wasn’t sure how to break it to him that the book wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, so I glanced at Yaku. “He’s already on a club team,” he explained.  
“Oh, I see! What position do you play?”  
He puffed his chest out proudly. “Wing spiker!” But just as quickly, he deflated.  
“It’s no fun playing with Yaku, though. He gets everything!”  
Yaku ruffled his hair as we walked to the dining room.

Yaku’s father had arrived sometime after we’d started working.  
“Hello, Yuu! How are you doing?”  
“I’m good, thank you.” By his side was a boy who must’ve been…Rei? His gaze was directed down at the floor, though. Yaku and Toyo had moved off to start setting the table - I could hear their banter over the clicking of the plates.  
“It must be a lot of work managing.” I looked back at his father and started to protest.  
“It’s no problem - everyone’s been really helpful.”  
Yaku’s dad tapped the boy next to him and said, “Rei, why don’t you introduce yourself?”  
“It’s nice to meet you,” he mumbled, his eyes flickering up briefly.  
“Rei’s been studying all night. It’s almost like he’s trying to get into university, not high school!”  
Rei rolled his eyes.  
“Speaking of, do you have any plans after high school?”  
“Oh…besides college, I’m not sure. I’ve been interested in a lot of different things, so I’m trying to see if they’re a good fit.” What a vague answer!  
But he nodded and put his hand on Rei's shoulder. “It’s always good to have a plan.” And with that, we sat down to dinner.

I ended up sitting across from Toyo and in between Yaku and his mother. As we started the meal, I tried to imagine what my parents were doing at home without me, but ended up dismissing the thought.  
“Ah, Yuu, what do your parents do?”  
It was like she’d read my mind!  
“My dad’s a sales leader at a technology company, and my mom’s a teacher. We moved this year when my dad got a promotion.”  
She nodded. “How do you like Tokyo?”  
I laughed. “It definitely took a bit of adjustment, but I like it a lot. My friend always wanted to move here, but I ended up beating her.”  
Yes…sometimes I felt like Ren should have been the one to move instead of me.  
“Which universities are you interested in?”  
“That’s enough, Mom,” Yaku interrupted, his face burning. “You don’t need to interrogate her.”  
“I’m just asking a few friendly questions! Really, Morisuke-”  
I laughed as he stammered a reply, making it halfway before Toyo interrupted, brandishing his chopsticks like a sword.  
The jostling at the table was so different from the quiet evenings at home that dinner sailed by quickly.

“Wanna play?” Toyo held up a volleyball as we left the table.  
“Oh-” Yaku glanced at me. We were only about halfway done with the project, not enough to justify another break. But-  
“Sure!” I followed Toyo, now skipping, out into the backyard.  
There was a small volleyball net set up that looked like it’d seen plenty of use. After a short huddle, it was decided that Yaku would take on both Toyo and I by himself. Yaku called out for Rei to join as he passed by, but he just explained calmly that he had a test and slid the door shut.  
“YOU’RE GOING DOWN!” Toyo shouted once we were in position, then turned to me for confirmation. “Right, Yuu?”  
“Right!” I stuck my tongue out at Yaku.  
“Ok, but don’t say I didn’t warn ya!” Yaku called as he served.

It was hard! There was a reason I was a manager and not a player, I thought grimly as I ran from one side of the court to the other.  
But even as I found myself making incredibly goofy receives and missing serves, I was having fun. Toyo yelled, “Boo-ya!” whenever he touched the ball, and when it made it over the net Yaku cheered.  
We weren’t doing too badly, either! Although it was a small space, Yaku couldn’t cover everything all the time, especially crazy hits by two amateurs.  
“YOU SEE THAT!” Toyo screamed after one such point, after which he spiked the ball straight into the net.  
I’d lost track of who was ahead or even how many points we had when I finally looked at my watch. 8:35!  
I made the time-out signal.  
“Sorry, I think I have to head home!”  
Toyo pouted, but as I high-fived him I said, “Don’t worry. We still have plenty of work to do on our project.”

Yaku insisted on walking me home despite my protests. It wasn’t that late, and it wasn’t that far. But still…  
“I’m sorry we weren’t very productive today.” After a few minutes of stewing in my thoughts, the statement came as a surprise.  
“Don’t apologize,” I said quickly. “I had fun.”  
“You know, Yuu…Why didn’t you join the girls’ volleyball team?”  
I scoffed, and his eyes widened. “Seriously! You have good form!”  
“Good form!” I exclaimed. It was like he hadn’t even been playing us!  
“You’re way too nice.”  
I looked up at the lamps as we passed under them, the light burning, then dimming, then burning again. “I only got into volleyball because of Ren. Not as a player, just as a manager.” I shrugged. “It was always something we did together, so…to be honest, I’m surprised that I’m doing it alone.”  
“The first day I came here, I heard you guys playing in the gym and peeked in. You really struck me.”  
“We did?” I glanced over. He looked so endearingly surprised that my heart throbbed.  
“Yeah.”  
I turned away. “You did.”

When I got home that night, I wasn’t sure what to do. I wasn’t even sure what to think about first.  
“How was dinner? Did you get a lot done?” Mom asked as I came in, but I just nodded and said, “His family’s really nice.” We’d decided to meet again the next day, but I honestly wasn’t sure if I could handle it. I’d made a hard promise to myself that tomorrow would be the end, though.  
In my room, I collapsed on the bed and tried to imagine that Ren was sitting in my desk chair giving me advice. Like she was a therapist and I was her patient.  
The only problem was that I knew exactly what she would say and I wasn’t sure I was ready for that.  
“Ugh…” I reached for my phone and pulled up her contact.

“Hellooo?” She sounded wayyy too excited for 9 o' clock at night.  
“Hi. It’s me. I need some advice.”  
“Please tell me this is what I think it’s about.”  
“I think this is what you think it’s about.”  
She gasped and I briefly considered hanging up. It wasn’t too late yet.  
“Let me get this straight…you’re calling about a b-o-”  
I put a hand over my eyes. “Ren, I am this close to hanging up on you. Just listen for a minute, all right?”  
I took the silence on the other end as compliance.  
“So, the thing is…you see, today- actually, it was a bit before today-”  
“YUU!”  
The scream seemed to jump-start my brain and suddenly I was spilling everything. “I like Yaku but I also think that’s kind of concerning because I’m a manager and he’s a player and I know that never bothered you but it just feels weird because we got locked in the storage closet a few days ago and now we’re working together on a group project and I met his family, and-”  
“Start again from the top!” she demanded. “And SLOWLY.”

After I’d explained it all, there was a long silence on the other end of the line.  
“Why do you like him?” she asked finally.  
I blinked. Of all of the weird and/or inappropriate questions she could’ve asked, I’d never expected this one.  
“Because…he’s always nice to me, and he pushes me to be better, and he’s really cute.”  
I held my breath, waiting for the final judgment.  
“You’re so dumb,” she said, and then she hung up.

…

“Toyo and I are going to the bathroom, so hold down the fort until we get back!” Yaku waved, and with a snap! of the door, they were gone.  
Which left me alone with Rei.  
It was our second day of working on the project, and it had been almost an exact repeat of the first except for Rei joining our volleyball game.

“Rei! Come on!” Yaku had yelled impatiently as Rei passed through the hallway after dinner.  
“Your test’s over, right?”  
He stopped reluctantly. “Yeah…”  
“Then come play with us!”  
“YEAH!” (Toyo)  
“REI!” (Yaku’s mom)  
“FINE!” (Rei)

Rei and I had been placed on the same team, and we’d played for about fifteen minutes when Toyo and Yaku had pleaded the bathroom.

As they skipped off, Rei sighed and sat down in one of the chairs scattered throughout the yard. Though he didn’t express as much emotion while playing as his brothers, he was clearly concentrated. His movements were efficient, and he always called out where I needed to go.  
I hadn’t learned much about him from Yaku besides that he was in middle school and liked to study. He hadn’t talked much at dinner either night, and my inkling that he was shy had faded into the realization that perhaps he was just serious.

“Um…are you nervous for your entrance exams?” I asked. It was around that time for them, right?  
He looked at me for a moment, then turned away. “Yeah. You transferred to Nekoma?”  
I nodded. “We just moved to Tokyo this year. The exam was a bit different…I’m sorry, I wish I could remember specifics.”  
“It’s all right.”  
When nothing else seemed forthcoming, I looked around the backyard. There were a few volleyballs hiding in the bushes, and I briefly considered gathering them before-  
“Do you like volleyball?” I asked suddenly. It seemed like such an obvious question, but I couldn’t be sure. There had been brief moments when he’d looked fired up, though.  
He shook his head. “I don’t love it, if that’s what you mean. I don’t want to play it.”  
My eyes widened at the only statement I’d heard him inject some emotion into. Had the question struck a nerve?  
“I mean…” he sounded less confident now, like he was searching for the words. “Morisuke and I aren’t the same. I’m not good at it.”  
Not good at it?  
“Are you good at studying?” The question was out before I could think it over.  
He blinked. “What?”  
I was in too deep now - I had to see it through.  
I tried again. “Are you good at studying?”  
“I guess.”  
“How did you get good at it? Have you always been like that?”  
“I…” He looked down again. “I was smart, but I had to study.”  
I nodded, maybe a little too vigorously. “That’s right!”  
“No one’s born good at anything. You can be a little good just by luck, but you can’t become very good without practicing. I know Yak- I mean, I know Morisuke feels that way, too. He’s really good. He’s the best. But he had to work for it, too.”  
I finally glanced a peek back at him. He was staring at me, but I couldn’t decipher the look on his face.  
Time to stop, I told myself, but I couldn’t help from adding one last thing.  
“So…who says you can’t love something you have to work for?” With that, I promised to seal my lips.  
Ah, great, I thought. I’d already alienated him. He probably knew better than anyone how much work Yaku had put in, and he’d still reached that conclusion. What did someone who’d only known Yaku for half a year have to say?  
“Listen, Rei, I’m-” He cut me off before I could say “sorry.”  
“Thanks, Yuu.” His eyes held mine, then flickered away.  
“I’ll think about it.”  
When Yaku and Toyo finally came back and we resumed the game, he looked a little lighter.

“What did you say to him?” Yaku marveled as he walked me back. “That’s the longest he’s gone without complaining in a while.”  
I shrugged. “I told him to suck it up.”  
He looked so doubtful that I laughed.  
“Ok, fine! I think he’s been feeling a little…down about volleyball. Because-”  
I tried to think of a delicate way to say, “You’re so good at it you’re making him feel insecure.” No, I definitely couldn’t say that.  
I tried a different tactic. “So you have Toyo, who sees you play and feels inspired.” I thought back to his proud declaration that he was going to be the ace, Yaku cheering him on every time he scored a point, and almost smiled.  
I coughed.  
“But then you have Rei, who sees you play and feels discouraged. Um…” We’d kept walking, maybe as an excuse for me to not look him in the eye, but maybe we should stop.  
I veered off the path and sat down on a bench, patting the spot beside me when he hesitated.  
“There are always two reactions you can have when you live with someone so amazing,” I continued on when he was seated. Maybe it was because the topic was serious, but I wasn’t even blushing like I normally might have been.  
“You can think, ‘Wow, that’s so cool, I want to do that too and maybe be even better!’ But you can also think, ‘Wow, that’s so cool, I could never do that.’ So I think he’s been getting down on himself because of that. Not that it’s your fault.”  
I finished my impromptu speech, already feeling a bead of sweat popping out on my forehead. Maybe I should have just stuck to ancient civilizations.  
He nodded. “I didn’t know he thought about it like that. I thought he was just interested in studying.”  
I hastened to confirm. “I think he is, but maybe this has been weighing on him. Ahhh, I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to give you advice.” I turned away. And I hadn’t even, really! All I’d done was point out a problem, not make any recommendations…  
“Don’t apologize. Thank you, Yuu.” After a moment’s hesitation, he reached over and took my hand.

“Um…do you know any constellations?” We were still holding hands, and to take my mind off of it I looked up to the sky, which had thankfully cleared a bit. It was a bit smoggy, but I could still see a few stars peeking through.  
“Not really. Maybe the Big Dipper.”  
Both of our faces were turned skywards now, and I snuck a glance at him. That’s when I saw it.  
“Oh!” I pointed with my other hand. “Do you see it? Mars, the brightest star in the sky.” It twinkled sometimes red, sometimes white above a pair of dark trees. Why did they call it a star when it was a planet? Because it looked like one to the naked eye?  
He turned, but I could tell he wasn’t seeing it. I moved closer to see from his perspective.

That was when I realized that our faces were very, very close together. When he turned back to me, our noses were almost touching.  
I could feel my heart pounding in my ears, surprisingly slow. Calm.  
Expectant.  
I don’t know who leaned in first, but I did know I didn’t want to be the first to pull away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry, I didn’t plan to go on such a long hiatus! I also did not plan to split Yaku’s story into two parts, but it looks like that is what I will do. (However, I’m almost done with the second part! I just keep stuffing events in, geez.) I had a very difficult time deciding where exactly to split the story, so I’m sorry if it ended on a bit of a cliffhanger! Thank you so much for your patience!!!  
> 104


	4. Yaku II

I didn’t know exactly what I was feeling, but I didn’t mind figuring it out along the way!  
His mouth was warm, and I felt safe. In the dark, we weren’t anyone in particular anymore - he wasn’t Yaku, and I wasn’t Yuu. We weren’t on the same team, or even living in Tokyo. We were above it all, maybe like two stars orbiting the same constellation - just two people who cared for each other. I’d just reached up to pull him closer when a boy’s voice thundered:  
“GET A ROOM!”  
My eyes snapped open, but whoever it was was already long gone, flying down the park path. I started to turn back to him, then quickly looked away. Was I really the kind of person who made out in public parks?!?! And after we had been talking about MARS, no less?!?!  
I knew I should probably say something to break the silence, but for once I couldn’t. I was finally at a loss for words.  
Maybe all we could ever have after this was silence. But when I tried to think about riding the bus alone and parting ways after practice, it made my stomach sink.  
“Yuu, I have to tell you something.” I shut my eyes tight.  
“You don’t have to,” I wanted to say, but it felt like my lips were glued shut.  
He hesitated, and I finally turned back to receive the killing blow head-on. But he was looking at me steadily and seemed even more embarrassed when we met eyes.  
“I think about you all the time. What you’re doing, what you’re thinking…whether you’re happy.” He paused again briefly and rubbed his neck.  
“More than anything, I want you to be happy. So if that isn’t with me, I’ll respect that, too.”  
I was so shocked that I let a few seconds go by before answering.  
“Yaku, right now I can’t imagine being happy without you.”  
His head snapped up, and his eyes flared with…hope?  
“I really mean it! I’ve been pretty miserable these last few days, too. So…” I wanted to touch him again, but I wasn’t sure where. I finally settled on his elbow. “Maybe we could try again?”  
This time, there were no bystanders.

Yaku wanted to do everything properly. He wanted to go on dates. He wanted to-  
“You want to buy me stuff?” I’d asked doubtfully as we’d walked home, his hand in mine.  
He nodded. Who knew he was so old-fashioned! I was about to say so when he interrupted my reverie.  
“I want to do things for you. I really do feel like giving you the world.”  
It was the second time he’d made me speechless in one night.  
“You’re already giving me everything,” I finally decided. “But I do want to go on a date.”  
“Where?”  
“Well…” Now that we were in the more urban area, we were passing all sorts of displays.  
I squinted at one set into the side of a bus stop. “Hold that thought.”

The next weekend, we met up at the movie theater to see the adventure movie on display. I’d been eagerly anticipating it even before, so this was a godsend! Hopefully it wouldn’t be boring and there might even be a romantic part we could-!  
“Yuu!” I turned and saw him waving by the ticket counter. It was strange to see him in non-athletic clothes, but he looked cute in a button-up over a T-shirt.  
I found my eyes lingering a little too long. Ok, fine! He was hot. I was allowed to say that now, right?  
“You look really nice.”  
I waved him off and asked, “Have you been waiting long?”  
“No, but I thought I’d get the tickets beforehand. Do you want something to eat?  
I was about to respond when I heard a shout from behind us.  
“Yuu! Yaku!” I was used to hearing that voice on the court, but it couldn’t be…

“What a coincidence!” Lev marveled as he strode up to us. He towered over the other passerby, and we got a few curious glances. “Yuu, you look pretty!”  
I guess I was dressed up a bit more than usual…Yaku looked like he was trying to melt Lev with his eyes, so I said, “It’s nice to see you, Lev. Uh…what are you doing here?”  
“Just walking around.” He grinned and pointed to the paper bag in his hand. “Doing some shopping.”  
Well, we were in a shopping center! It just also happened to be the closest theater…  
“Ah, I see.” Lev looked like he was about to show us whatever was in the bag, so I grasped for a suitable excuse.  
“Wait! Are you guys seeing a movie?” He peered down to read the ticket in Yaku’s hand. “Oh, I wanted to see this!”  
THAT WAS OUR FAULT FOR CHOOSING SUCH AN EXCITING MOVIE!  
What were we supposed to do?! I cycled through a host of options including lying and saying that it was rated R (Lev was too young for that, right?) to suddenly excusing ourselves and reconvening later, but they all just made me feel like a terrible person.  
“Lev…” Maybe honesty was the best policy? But-

“Please, let’s not tell the team yet,” I’d begged Yaku.  
He’d looked over at me curiously but hadn’t protested.  
“I need to think about how to break it to them.” I rubbed my temple. It wouldn’t be good to just tell them in a rush, right? My head hurt whenever I thought about it. Yeah, everyone would be supportive, but I didn’t think I was ready to deal with Kuroo’s ten billion questions just yet.  
He nodded, and we continued on. “Whatever you think’s best.”

“Please tell me that doesn’t still apply.” Yaku was practically begging me with his eyes, but I shot him a warning glance.  
It was only two hours! It wasn't like we would be talking the whole time, and we could ditch him afterwards, right?  
“Yes, we are," I said, and Lev smiled expectantly. "Um…do you want to join us?”

There were some close calls.  
Yaku was about to pay for the popcorn when Lev suddenly plunged his hand into his pocket. “I still haven’t paid you back for the popsicle that day, Yuu! Don’t worry, I got this.”  
As he slapped the money onto the counter, startling the cashier, I thought I saw Yaku’s eyebrow twitch.  
And then when we were picking our seats…  
By a bad twist of fate, he was in the middle as we filed in, and I didn’t have the heart to say anything.  
“You guys? Are you ok?” He looked at us concernedly, and I quickly tried to put a neutral expression back on my face. We probably looked like we were going to a funeral, not the year’s number 1 thriller. “Oh! You wanted to share the popcorn?” He happily got up so we could sit together, then sat down on my other side. I heard the person behind him groan at the sudden obstruction.  
He wasn’t the only one. Yaku looked so pained that I squeezed his hand when Lev wasn’t looking.

The movie was just as good as I’d hoped, which kind of made it even worse. Revenge? High-tech gadgets?! Awesome fight scenes?!?! Our hands brushed occasionally when we reached for popcorn, and during one of the emotional scenes I started to take his, but that was also the scene Lev got antsy and started looking around. I snapped it back to my side soon after that.

“That was great!” Lev stretched as the credits finally rolled, and then we were walking out of the theater. “What did you guys think?”  
“Yeah, I really liked it.” It was the first thing Yaku had said since the beginning of the movie.  
I nodded distractedly. “Yes, we’ll definitely have to recommend it to everyone…See you Monday, Lev!”  
He waved and then disappeared among the crowd, swinging his bag cheerfully.  
Yaku turned towards me slowly and I braced myself for an outcry, but instead he just dropped his head onto my shoulder.  
I froze. What was I supposed to do?! I finally patted him on the back. His face was in the crook of my neck, not that I minded, but we were starting to get some stares from the other patrons leaving the theater. “Think she broke up with him?” I heard one guy whisper.  
That prompted me to take him by the shoulders and gently remove myself.  
“Sorry. It’s just…” He sighed. “That actor wasn’t the only one about to kill someone.”  
That made me pause for a minute, but finally I said, “I’m sorry, too. I should’ve just told him.”  
“The fact that he didn’t expect anything was pretty good. Unless you’re just so far out of my league that he didn’t consider it.” Yaku looked troubled, so I laughed and took his arm.  
“I’m sure it’s not that. It’s just…no one likes to think about their upperclassmen’s love lives.”

It was later than I’d expected, and after all of the popcorn I found that I wasn’t hungry. I pulled him towards the park.  
“Come on, let’s go!” After two hours of tension and embarrassed silence, I felt giddily free. We set off fast and were laughing by the time we got to our usual bench. I didn’t see the woman sitting on it at first, so at the last minute I veered off and tugged him into the grass.  
It was a bit cold, but nothing I couldn’t handle. I sat down - cute clothes be darned! - and waited until he’d dropped beside me before settling closer. Finally, I lay on my back and looked up.  
All those constellations I couldn’t name! I couldn’t even see Mars tonight.  
As if he could read my mind, he cleared his throat. “I’ve been studying a bit since…uh, the first time.”  
He pointed an arm out. “There’s Orion, see the three stars in his belt?” I moved closer but kept my eyes skyward.  
“I think so.” He was headless and legless, but I could imagine it.  
“And Cassiopeia - hm, that one’s a little tougher. She’s sitting at an angle.” That one I couldn’t see as clearly, but I still nodded.  
“I think they should name one after you.”  
A constellation? I raised an eyebrow at that but let him go on.  
“Like…YUUrsa Major.”  
“Oh, stop!” How embarrassing! I batted at him and he laughed.  
“What about, uh…Um…” Dang, this was hard! I tried to think of one that would mesh well with his name, but when I took too long I started to feel him shaking beside me. I buried my face in his shoulder. “Don’t laugh!” It came out muffled.  
“Sorry, sorry.” He put his arm around me but I kept my face turned away. “Maybe we could have a constellation together.”  
“Together?”  
I felt him nod. “Like the position we’re in now. I’m sure if we look hard enough we could make one.”  
I raised my head again and we scanned the stars. I didn’t mind when we couldn’t find one, because that meant I had him all to myself.

...

We started hanging out more after practice. We’d usually walked home together before, so it didn’t seem like anyone noticed.  
“See you tomorrow!” we called.  
“See you tomorrow!” they’d chime back, and when we got far enough away he’d take my hand.

Toyo and Rei got used to my near constant presence at their house. Sometimes we even switched up the volleyball teams.  
I liked him. I liked him a lot, and I didn't want anything to change.

We were studying in his room one day when Toyo suddenly barged in. “Mom says you have to take me to the store!”  
“Really? Which store?” Yaku lowered his notebook and Toyo sighed.  
“GameCenter, to get the next Mario Kart. Please!”  
Yaku looked at me questioningly, but I’d already jumped up. It was about time for a break, anyway. “All right - lead the way!”  
“Are you good at Mario Kart?” We were still about a block away, and he looked so excited that I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I usually spent more time being rescued than on the track.  
“I could use some practice.”  
“Awesome! We can play together.” He cast a dismissive look at Yaku. “I guess you can, too.”  
“HEY!” We entered the store, and when Toyo made a beeline for the video games I stopped by the Nintendo aisle. It had been a while, but maybe I could get something, too.  
“I don’t remember these being so expensive,” I grumbled as I inspected a sports game. A girl wearing a tennis skirt and clutching a racket beamed from the cover, but it was more than I usually spent on milk in a week! I was just heading to the checkout counter when I saw a familiar blonde head.  
Crap! I ducked behind the DVDs, then peeked out one last time to confirm.  
Kenma!  
I could just stay here for a bit. Or maybe I didn’t have to? We lived in the same area, after all. But after the experience with Lev, I just wanted to make this encounter as painless as possible.  
I’d just pulled out my phone to text Yaku the situation when he started heading my way.  
Kenma, need something other than a DVD! I prayed desperately, trying to backtrack down the aisle as quickly as possible.  
His eyes swiveled towards me slowly and finally stopped.  
“Yuu.” A surprised Kenma was a rare Kenma.  
“Hi, Kenma!” I winced as it came out almost too enthusiastically.  
“Well. Nice seeing ya!” I waved and had just taken a step backwards when I heard Toyo call, “Yuu?”  
I turned around slowly to see Yaku and Toyo come down the aisle.  
“Oh, Kenma!” Yaku’s face gave nothing away. “What are you looking for?”  
Kenma’s eyes lingered briefly on Toyo before flickering back up to him. “REDemption released an extra.”  
THAT’S NOT A DVD!  
“Is this…”  
“Yep! This is my brother Toyo.” Yaku grabbed his shoulders and turned him to face Kenma instead of the horror movies. “Toyo-”  
“Nice to meet you!”  
“It’s nice to meet you, too.”  
Yaku let him go and he held the game up to me. “Doesn’t it look cool?”  
I tried to read the description, which had to be in the smallest font not deemed a public safety hazard. “Yeah…”  
“Kenma’s really good at games,” Yaku piped up.  
“Oh, no…”  
“He’s practically a wizard.” Toyo started looking at him with more interest.  
“Really? Do you want to play?”  
“Oh, uh…” I honestly wasn’t sure if he would agree, but finally he nodded. “I could.”

Even if he couldn’t see my bag in Yaku’s room, there was the small matter of me following them back. Again, I considered ditching and getting it later, but I figured that I should be fine under the guise of playing Mario Kart.  
“I’ve heard the picture’s a lot better,” Toyo said seriously, examining the case one last time before popping the disc in.  
“It isn’t,” I thought I heard Kenma say under his breath, but he didn’t repeat it. We were all sitting in their living room in a semicircle, and I prayed they would be short a remote so I could just sit out. No need for unnecessary embarrassment. There were only three brothers, right?  
Wrong! Yaku handed me a remote and I resigned myself to another long round of getting rescued by Lakitu. That smug little turtle was seriously starting to get on my nerves.

Yaku was right: Kenma was a god at Mario Kart. He never made below second, despite Toyo’s best efforts. Toyo looked so agitated that I thought he would finally give up and accuse Kenma of cheating, but what came out next was even more surprising.  
“Please teach me!” he begged, his hands clasped together in supplication.  
Kenma blinked. “Sure, if you want.”  
“Who would’ve thought?” Yaku seemed to say as he glanced at me.  
As Kenma taught Toyo about timing the engine right to get an extra burst, I silently agreed.

Kenma stayed for about another hour, then excused himself for dinner. Toyo had gotten significantly better under his tutelage but still had a long way to go before challenging him for the throne.  
“Bye, Kenma! Come play with us again!” Toyo waved enthusiastically as Kenma slipped on his shoes.  
Then, to me: “Yuu, what about a one-on-one game?” He’d been so focused on Kenma’s teachings that he hadn’t noticed I’d finished eighth every time.  
“Oh, um…”  
“Yuu, you’re not-?” Kenma’s eyes flickered between all three of us, seeming to connect the dots. Together on a weekend, on familiar terms…?  
“I mean, are you guys…” His gaze finally settled on me and Yaku.  
I almost said we were just working on a project, but what really came out was: “Please don’t tell anyone!” Yaku nodded beside me.  
He gave us one last look before the door closed behind him.  
I was turning to Yaku when he sighed. “I don’t even know if that was a close call or not.”  
I nodded. “But I trust him.”

Kenma didn’t blab. Practice continued without incident, and when Tora and Inuoka started arguing loudly about Karasuno’s manager, Kiyoko, I took it as confirmation that nothing had changed. (The argument went along the lines of: “Don’t talk about other managers when we have Yuu!” “I’m not saying Kiyoko’s better than Yuu, I’m just saying they’re both very beautiful women!” “Then preface it like that!” I’d pretended to be engrossed in the charts.)

I still couldn’t think of an organic way to slip the topic into conversation. “Oh, by the way, Yaku and I have been dating for weeks now! Just thought you should know!” sounded less and less appealing with every passing day.  
However, I did know one last thing I had to do: take him home.

“No one’ll be there - are you sure you don’t mind?” I asked anxiously, my key already in the lock.  
He shook his head. “I’m actually less nervous since I don’t have to meet your parents right away!”  
With one last prayer to the universe, I pushed it open. As Yaku slipped off his shoes, he looked around, his mouth agape.  
“Your house is really nice!”  
“Thanks. Sorry, some stuff is still weird because of the move…” I headed to the kitchen and he followed me.  
“Are you hungry? I think we have a few pears.” I rooted through the basket on the counter and held one up triumphantly.   
We were sitting at the counter munching on them when Yaku asked another question, pear juice dripping down his chin. I handed him a napkin.  
“Your dad is a…sales leader?”  
I nodded. “Yeah, that’s the official title, but what he really does is review the reports and make pitches. He’s a big people person.”  
“And your mom’s a teacher?”  
“Yeah, middle school. Not Nekoma, though.” I glanced down at the half-eaten pair on my plate. “They work a lot, so they don’t get home until late. Would you mind waiting?”  
He shook his head cheerfully, and I smiled.  
“Great. They’re gonna love you.”

It was the time of reckoning! I don’t know quite what expression I had on my face as I opened my bedroom door.  
“Again, a bit messy, sorry.”  
He shook his head, but it definitely was! I cleared off some books so he could sit in the desk chair, then took the bed and looked around nervously.  
Unlike his room, there was absolutely nothing volleyball related except for a popular manga series tucked into my bookshelf. There were plenty of polaroids of friends from my old school, though, and more of Ren than anyone else.  
He suddenly grinned and pointed at one. “Is this-?”  
“God, that was elementary school!” I groaned and hid my face in my hands. “Don’t judge me for the fashion sense.” If I remembered correctly, I smiled from that picture in embarrassingly bright monochrome.  
He looked at the other pictures then.  
“I feel like I’m being studied,” I confessed when he actually stood up to see the ones on the opposite wall.  
“If I really wanted to study you…”  
The bed sank beside me as he sat down.  
Woah! Personal space!!  
I looked away hoping to distract myself, but there wasn’t much I could do when he was so close. I finally looked back and asked, “Are you happy now?”  
There was a short pause as we looked at each other, our faces inches apart.  
“No.”  
The word took me by surprise. How was I supposed to respond to that?! Think, think, think-  
I rubbed my neck. “I’m sorry. I didn’t bring you here for so long because…it’s really quiet.”  
He looked at me for so long that I squirmed.  
“Yuu…do you get lonely sometimes?”  
What? I opened my mouth to respond, and he said hastily, “I mean, when your parents aren’t home.”  
No one had asked me that before, but I knew the answer.  
“Yes.” I looked down at my hands. “The move made me feel really isolated, and them working so much didn’t help. But…I met you guys. You filled up my days, a lot. Everyone was so high-energy that it made me feel excited, too.”  
“I guess I’m trying to say that I’m really grateful. But yes, it does bother me sometimes.”  
I looked over nervously, but thankfully he nodded. “I understand. I really want to be here for you - so does the team, and so do your parents. So please, don’t hesitate to say something if you need help. If you told them…I’m sure they would take it to heart.”  
I believed him.  
“Thank you.” The mood had gotten quite somber, hadn’t it? I joked again, “So are you happy now?”  
He smiled. “Nope! There’s one more thing I need to ask.”  
I looked at him expectantly.  
“Can I kiss you?”  
Could he ever! I nodded and said yes, closing my eyes in anticipation. But it didn’t land where I thought it would.  
First my cheek, then my forehead, then the tip of my nose. I tried to keep my eyes shut, but when he reached my neck it was too much.  
My eyes shot open and he laughed. It wasn’t bad necessarily, just-  
“Sorry,” he chuckled. “I’ll stop messing around.”  
“You’d better.” This time, I kissed him so forcefully he lost his balance.

My parents loved him, of course. What wasn’t to like?! He was smart, polite, and laughed at my dad’s increasingly terrible jokes. So genuinely, in fact, that I started to question his acting skills a little.  
“You know, you don’t have to laugh,” I marveled as I walked him out.  
He chuckled. (CHUCKLED?!?!) “I didn’t have to. Your dad’s a funny guy.”  
That shut me up as I hugged him goodbye (no parting kiss, I’m afraid - my parents were standing right behind me). He waved as he walked away, disappearing into the dark. I'd forgotten to ask him to text me when he got home.  
When I turned back around, Mom said, “He’s such a nice boy! I’m glad you met, Yuu.”  
Wasn't he! Emboldened, I said, “Well, he’s really the reason all of this happened. I saw him in the gym and started managing after that.”  
She looked like she was about to launch into another of her, “Aren’t you glad we moved to Tokyo?” talks, so I coughed and headed back to my room. “Yes, I’m glad.”  
And then, quietly: “Thank you.”

…

“Are you nervous?” I asked anxiously. Another week had passed, and we were at yet another game. Everyone was especially stressed, so I pulled him aside before warm-ups.  
He grinned. “Don’t ask me that! Seeing you nervous makes me nervous.”  
“Sorry, sorry.” I glanced around, then took his hands in mine. It seemed like the most I could do without looking unprofessional.  
He leaned in, and I looked around again before facing forward, hoping my blush wasn’t too noticeable. “After this match,” he started slowly, and my eyes widened. “Can we-”  
“Yuu! Will you warm us up, too?” I turned to see Kuroo heading towards us, the rest of the team hot on his heels.  
“Yeah! Why does Yaku get all of the special treatment?” Lev asked. I saw a few of them nod sheepishly.  
“Well, um-” I floundered, not sure whether I should try to brush it off. If I held everyone’s hands, wouldn’t that delay warm-ups?  
I was still stammering an excuse when Lev held out his hands and Yaku finally snapped.  
“BECAUSE I’M HER BOYFRIEND!”

There were about ten seconds of shocked silence before all hell broke loose.

“HOW?!”  
“Seriously?!?!”  
“When did that happen?”  
“Congrats!”  
The only person who didn’t look surprised was Kenma, who just sighed. I even imagined I saw Coach Nekomata lift an eyebrow, which kind of made me want to resign.  
The team milled around in a confused circle. I’d long since dropped Yaku’s hands, and at a loss, I clasped mine behind my back.  
“How long has this been going on?” Kuroo asked, and I shrugged guiltily.  
“Not long.” Was a few weeks long? “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to keep it from you.”  
“By not long, do you mean-”  
“Why Yaku?” Lev gasped, shoving himself to the front.  
Yaku scowled. “Why not me?”  
“Because you’re so ang- I mean, because you’re so short!”  
Sometimes I wished I could screen Lev’s thoughts before he spoke them.

“Why him?” Lev repeated dazedly a few minutes later, massaging the goose egg where Yaku’d hit him.  
I handed him an ice pack sympathetically.  
“I mean, you’re so nice. And Yaku is so…um...” He shot a nervous glance towards where Yaku was still seething on the bench, Kuroo pounding him on the back.  
“I think Yaku’s very nice,” I said quietly, but I wasn’t sure that was the best segueway. I coughed.  
“Anyway, um…I’m sorry you had to find out like this.”  
He suddenly gasped, the ice slipping off of his head. “So that day when you were-?!”  
I winced. “Yep. We were on a date.” I didn’t tell him it was our first.  
“And I-?”  
“It’s all right, Lev.” But he was sulking now, his head hanging down between his shoulders.  
“I deserved to get hit.”  
“No, you didn’t. I’ll um…talk to him about that.” I’d just turned to look for Yaku again when Kuroo marched over.  
“So, Yuu. It looks like you can keep quite the secret.”  
I waved him off guiltily. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to - I didn’t want to distract you.”  
“So that day I rescued you two from the storage closet-”  
WHO LOCKED US IN THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE?!?!  
But I said, “AGH! No! We were actually stuck.” Everyone was just bringing up embarrassing events from the past, huh?  
“I’m sorry. I’ll be more honest with you from now on.” I looked at Lev, still flopped over. “All of you.”  
“It really hasn’t been long. Maybe a few weeks.”  
“Good. Because I want to know-” He leaned in suddenly and I tensed.  
“Is he a good boyfriend?” The question had more genuine curiosity in it than I expected, and I blinked.  
“Um…yes. He’s nice and funny and-” I stopped myself short of giving him a Yaku appreciation lecture. “Yes, he is.”  
“Well, if you have any complaints…” Kuroo grinned, and I shivered a little in spite of myself.  
“And me! Don’t forget to tell me!” It looked like the thought of reprimanding Yaku had finally gotten Lev back to normal. He bounced around, a sparkle in his eye.  
Even though I’d never take him up on it, the thought of Lev trying to take on Yaku was pretty funny. Just a little.  
“Thanks for the concern, but I don’t think that’ll be a problem.” Yaku was back to talking to Kai, but he noticed my glance and mouthed, Ok?  
I nodded, then turned back to Kuroo. “I think we’ll be fine.”

Everyone gave us knowing glances as we left the gym that day, which was a little annoying.  
“Ah, young love,” Kuroo sighed, and for the first time I got up the courage to glare at him. Not that it mattered. He still had the same smug grin on his face.

“So…now everyone knows, huh?” My breath came out in a pearly cloud in front of me, and I exhaled again.  
He nodded. “Now everyone knows.”  
Would things be different now?  
I realized I’d outpaced him and stopped. His eyes were downcast. “I don’t think we could’ve kept it a secret for much longer. It was almost a relief just to say it.” He looked up apologetically. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask you beforehand.”  
“It’s all right. I’m glad they know.” I reached out for his hand and he smiled ruefully as he took it.  
“Well, now we can do stuff like this.” I looked down at our hands together.  
“And this?”  
My eyes widened when he pressed his lips to my cheek. The small spot of warmth seemed to travel outwards until it heated up my whole face.  
“Oh, yes.” I said faintly, turning away for a moment. “And that.”

…

I looked at the mop and bucket.  
“One last time? For old time’s sake?” It was our last day of practice, no matter what. We were leaving for Nationals the next day.  
He nodded, and I slowly pulled out the mop.  
The year had been so long, yet so short. I had become as much a part of the team as anyone, and now I had to leave it. In the last few weeks, I’d enlisted a first-year to be the next manager thanks to Ai, and had gotten closer with Ai herself, too. Ren had called - she’d promised to come tomorrow. So many things were different, yet the important ones stayed the same.  
I glanced over at Yaku. When had I started feeling differently about him, or had I just always known? I’d always known he was special, that was for sure - ever since I saw him that first day in the gym. He looked over and I smiled before returning to the task at hand.  
After we’d finished mopping, I stood there looking at the gym for a bit, which felt a little silly, but I couldn’t help it. Everything looked so empty, quiet. Not like the room that had been full of shouts and squeaks and laughter.  
“Will you miss it?” I asked.  
“Of course.” His answer was immediate. “Will you?”  
“You know it.” I squeezed his hand for a moment, then we turned back to the storage closet.

We’d been more wary of getting locked in since the first incident, but because I knew for a FACT that everyone had gone home this time (even though people had lingered), I wasn’t as cautious. So when the door slammed shut behind us and we heard a certain someone’s hyena laugh, I was enraged.  
“KUROO TETSUROU I SWEAR TO GOD-!” I pounded on the door, but the light just flickered off.  
I heard muffled laughter and the squeaking of sneakers. So this was a team effort-?!  
“Fine!” I said loudly. “Yaku and I will just have to make the most of it, I guess!”  
I felt around in the darkness and finally caught his chest. I looped my arms around his neck, but I was seething.  
“Don’t worry, Yuu. It’s just a prank.” I felt his breath stir my hair and rolled my eyes.  
“Yeah. It was really funny.”  
Suddenly, light flared up and I blinked.  
He grinned as the phone lit up his face from underneath, like a kid telling a ghost story.  
“Plus…this time I brought a light.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yayyyyy!!! This officially concludes Yaku’s story right in time for Valentine’s Day! :D I don’t know why, but my chapters have been getting much longer recently! In fact, I’m a little worried about Kuroo’s. XD Thank you for all of the kind comments (this is the first fic I’ve gotten them on, so I really appreciate it!), and please look forward to the last two stories!  
> Love,  
> 104  
> P.S. That being said, Valentine’s Day can be a pretty lonely holiday, so please remember that you are loved and appreciated! Please have something yummy and relax. :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I plan to structure this with an introduction setting the scene (one or two chapters) and then branch off afterwards according to which character you pick (or the third option where you beat some sense into them)! These will be clearly labeled in the chapter titles. I've always liked the idea of choose-your-own-adventure books, so I hope you enjoy it!  
> 104


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